‘Star Wars: Episode 7′ – J.J. Abrams Will Direct!

The search for a 'Star Wars: Episode 7' director is over. J.J. Abrams - the man who once said he would only be interested in 'Star Wars' as a paying moviegoer - will direct the first film in the new trilogy.

The Wrap is reporting that J.J. Abrams will direct 'Star Wars: Episode 7' after a long courtship from producer and new Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy. It should be noted that Kennedy was a longtime producer for Steven Spielberg, a good friend and mentor for Abrams. (Interestingly, the report claims that Ben Affleck was the runner-up for the job.) Deadline now confirms the report saying that it's a "done deal."

Abrams had been talking about shooting a new, original film after wrapping 'Star Trek Into Darkness' but that will have to be put on hold as he moves from one 'Star' franchise to another.

Before we get into what this means for 'Star Wars: Episode 7,' let's quickly talk about what this means for 'Star Trek.' Abrams has long made his home at Paramount, directing all of his movies with the studio, which also serves as the home of his production company Bad Robot. This surely means that 'Star Trek Into Darkness' will be Abrams' last 'Star Trek' movie, a decision that will surely upset the people at Paramount and a loyal fan base. Will Abrams be able to produce 'Star Trek 3' while filming 'Star Wars: Episode 7?'

As for 'Star Wars,' there probably was no director out there that was more of a perfect fit for the job than Abrams. It seems as if it's who Lucasfilm wanted all along and Abrams, a longtime 'Star Wars' fanatic, probably wanted the job more than he let on publicly. While the story will be that they had to woo him, we can't imagine they had to wine him and dine him for too long.

Another issue is that Abrams fancies himself a writer, one who's comfortable working with a familiar crew of colleagues. What will this mean to the current script that's being developed by Oscar-winning screenwriter Michael Arndt? Will Abrams want the power to rewrite? Has Abrams secretly been taking meetings with Arndt to inflect his own ideas on the film?

It may not be the most daring or surprising choice in the world, it certainly is a choice that a) makes sense and b) immediately gets one excited about the quality of the new era of 'Star Wars.'